Aretha Franklin‘s two-day public viewing began Tuesday in Detroit and, of course, throngs of people showed to up to pay their respects. Hundreds, if not thousands of people reportedly lined up for the gospel-infused viewing at Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
Accompanied by the sound of her gospel music, Franklin was laying in a gold-plated casket and dressed in red from head to high-heeled shoes, with her legs crossed at the ankles.
“What we wanted to do is be reflective of the Queen,” museum board member Kelly Major Green said, according to
The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s beautiful. She’s beautiful.”
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The 18-time Grammy winner (44 nominations) who
died Aug. 16 at the age of 76 was known for timeless hits like “Respect” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” She released her first album in 1956 at the age of 14, sold more than 75 million albums and become the
first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. She was also the youngest person to receive a Kennedy Center Honor in 1994.
Aretha’s funeral was planned for Friday, also in Detroit, after which she was expected to be laid to rest at the city’s Woodlawn Cemetery.
Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s public viewing was scheduled to last from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day. The funeral, however, was expected to be limited to family members, friends and selected guests.
See photos and videos below from the viewing.
